I give you my word that I will catch this animal…’
Society’s obsession with serial killers has ensured there has been a deluge of serial killer biopics in recent years. A common criticism is that they humanise their vile subjects and sensationalise the death of other human beings for profit. The Long Shadow follows in the wake of a number of Ripper documentaries in recent years but by combining compassion for the victims with a stellar cast and assured direction, this particular retelling of the Ripper story makes for truly exceptional television…
Famously, the Ripper case was handled (or rather mishandled) by two very different men. DCS Dennis Hoban (Toby Jones) had the first crack at it and the common consensus is that his failure to catch the ripper haunted him until he died of a heart attack aged just 63. He was succeeded by ACC George Oldfield (David Morrissey) whose obsession with the wrong aspects of the case directly led to the Ripper roaming free for several more years than he should have. Peter Sutcliffe was interviewed on nine separate occasions before his eventual arrest. An astonishing statistic.
The Long Shadow from writer George Kay and Sherwood director Lewis Arnold tells the story of the Ripper through the eyes of the victims. Kay’s script goes to great pains to point out that not all of the victims were prostitutes and even the ones who had lives, hopes and dreams like every other human being. The ensemble cast are uniformly excellent but it is Morrissey who sells this thing. His take on George Oldfield as a well-meaning but pig-headed detective perhaps sums up the entire attitude of the West Yorkshire police force at the time.
While there are gruelling moments here, this is not a violent show. Instead, it’s a character study of various victims of an evil man as well as a commentary on large-scale incompetence at the highest level of the police force. Vital television.